Letters of Hope

Dear Friends, 

We live in a part of the country that is not normally subject to cyclones or tornadoes, or even extremely severe windstorms.  However, there are occasions…as we recently experienced, with winds up to 134 kms. (83 miles) per hour.  Funnel clouds were seen in the darkened Western sky but, fortunately, none of them actually ‘touched down.’  Our neighboring City of Edmonton suffered some of the worst of the storm.  Hundreds of trees were uprooted, windows shattered, tombstones overturned, lightning and thunder with large hail, and it resulted in “one of the biggest power outages ever.”  The storm was officially termed a “gust front” which can “sometimes cause even more damage than a tornado because it can “cast a wider net.” 

The following poem by Edwin Markham (1852-1940) has long been a favorite of mine: 

At the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky
And flinging the clouds and the towers by,
Is a place of central calm;
So here in the roar of mortal things,
I have a place where my spirit sings
In the hollow of God’s palm.

I’ve wondered about the “heart of the cyclone” or “the eye of the storm,” so I did some research to discover what it means.  This is, very briefly, what I found:  

A Cyclone is a low-pressure area in the atmosphere in which winds spiral inward.  It may cover an area half the size of the United States.  A special intense kind of cyclone up to 2 miles across is called a Tornado – the most violent of all storms.  The winds whirl around the center of the storm in the shape of a funnel at speeds of up to 640 kms (400 miles) per hour!  Tornadoes destroy almost everything in their path.   

A tropical Cyclone is a severe large, whirling storm that forms near the equator over warm ocean waters.  It is called a Hurricane if it forms in the West Indies or the eastern Pacific Ocean, or a Typhoon if it forms in the Western Pacific.  Winds swirl around the center, or eye – a calm area in the centre of the storm – at speeds of 121 kms (75 miles) per hour or more.  Storm clouds, called wall clouds, surround the eye, which may measure 32 kms (20 miles) in diameter.  These bring the strongest winds and the heaviest rain.  Hurricanes hit land with tremendous force, bringing huge waves and heavy rain.  Thunderstorms often form within hurricanes and produce tornadoes.   When a hurricane moves over land, strong winds and heavy rain hit the area for several hours, often causing severe flooding. 

In Scripture, God is often associated with the whirlwind, and we are told that God spoke to Job “out of the whirlwind.”  It is interesting that one translation says “out of the eye of the storm!”  When the ‘storms of life’ assail us, we are assured that God is “a refuge from the storm”
 ( Job 38:1; 40:6; Isa. 25:4)   

The poets have found a lovely way of expressing a spiritual parallel to this phenomenon:  

Fear not that the whirlwind shall carry you hence,
Nor wait for its onslaught in breathless suspense,
Nor shrink from the whips of the terrible hail,
But pass through the edge to the HEART OF THE GALE.
For there is a shelter sun lighted and warm,
And Faith sees her God in the EYE OF THE STORM.
The passionate tempest with rush and wild roar,
And threatenings of evil may beat on the shore.

The waves may be mountains, the fields battle plains,
And the earth be immersed in a deluge of rains;
Yet the soul, stayed on God, may sing bravely its psalm,
For the HEART OF THE STORM is the CENTRE OF CALM.
Let hope be not quenched in the blackness of night,
Though the cyclone awhile may have blotted the light;
For behind the great darkness the stars ever shine,
And the light of God’s heaven, His love shall make thine.

Let no gloom dim your eyes, but uplift them on high
To the face of your God and the blue of the sky;
The storm is your shelter from danger and sin,
And God Himself takes you for safety within.
The tempest with Him passes into deep calm,
And the roar of the winds is the sound of a psalm;
Be glad and serene when the tempest clouds form,
God smiles on His child in the EYE OF THE STORM.
                                                Author unknown 

“May God, the giver of HOPE
fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him—
so that you may have abundant HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth) 

In Agape, Eulene

Read Full Post »

Dear Ones, 

I was speaking with my daughter on the phone recently when the line went dead!  A little later I tried to call her back, but had no dial tone.  Then I tried on the new cell phone with which I wasn’t very familiar, and I didn’t know whether the lack of success in getting through with that – to anywhere – was my fault, or that of the phone.  A little later the dial tone returned and, with some measure of relief, we were able to continue our conversation.  On an ensuing call, again, no dial tone!  In the meantime, David was expecting an important return call that would affect his day’s activities, so it was a little frustrating to realize he couldn’t be reached by phone.  Eventually, I managed on the cell phone to contact Telephone Repair, and was assured that, although they were experiencing difficulties in our area, their technicians were working on the problem in an effort to restore service as soon as possible. 

The whole incident turned my thoughts back to my precious grandparents who homesteaded on the Saskatchewan prairie early in the 1900s, and the lack of communication that prevailed in those days:  a post-mail letter once or twice a year to/from those at a distance;  a bi-weekly or monthly trip into town to obtain basic supplies;  a rare visit to or from a neighbor four or five miles away.  Or, if the message was extremely urgent, a telegram that might be delivered by horseback.  The closest they came to a telephone was the telegraph office in town!    I seem to have a vague childhood recollection of my Grandfather experimenting with tin cans at the ends of a long wire strung between his house and my Great Uncle’s house a quarter of a mile away!  I was too young to remember whether or not they ever worked.  :) 

Whatever would we do these days without our modern means of communication?  Telephones (with all their variations), radios, televisions, computerized communications, and other technological innovations of which I am unaware;  instantaneous connections, not only to the other side of the globe, but incredibly far out into space!   On the recent 35th anniversary of the historic 1969 moon-landing, we heard again the voice of Neil Armstrong announce, “The Eagle has landed!”  Our grandparents would have been totally overwhelmed with astonishment and disbelief. 

My reminiscing also brought to mind an old song we used to sing when I was a child: 

Telephone to Glory, O, what joy divine,
I can feel the current moving on the line.
Built by God the Father for His loved and own,
We may talk with Jesus on this Royal Telephone. 

I can’t describe the allegory any better than the words of the verses: 

 ”Central’s never busy – always on the line; 
You may hear from Heaven almost any time. 
‘Tis a Royal Service free for one and all. 
When you get in trouble, give this Royal line a call.  

“There will be no charges, telephone is free; 
 It was built for service just for you and me. 
He will be there waiting on this Royal line;
Telephone to Glory always answers just on time.

“Carnal interference cannot get control
Of this line to Glory anchored in the soul. 
Storm and trial cannot disconnect the line,
Held in constant keeping by the Father’s hand Divine.” 

            © 1919 F. M. Lehman 

It reminds us again of the glorious favor we have of instant, ongoing communication (the privilege of prayer) with our Creator, Saviour and Lord.  He invites us to call Him anytime:- 

“Call unto Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you know not.”  (Jer. 33:30)
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”  (Ps. 50:15)
“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;  I will be with him in trouble;  I will deliver him, and honor him.”  (Ps. 91:15) 

How often do you use your Royal Telephone?  Instant connections are available to those who make the call.  You’ll never get a busy signal, you won’t get an answering machine at the other end, and you won’t be relegated to Voicemail or other automated “choices.” 

Together with the Psalmist, and countless others through the ages, “Because He has inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.”  (Ps. 116:2)   How about you? 

“May God, the giver of HOPE,
fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him—
so that you may have abundant HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth) 

In Agape, Eulene

Read Full Post »

Greetings, 

I do believe that when “the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed…to dress it and keep it,” in His wisdom He knew that, in the midst of growing things, we could learn the most profound lessons of life.  (Gen. 2:8) 

Yes!  It is that time of year.  We do not have the garden we once had, but our few vegetables (along the fence and in “tires”) are growing – and so are the weeds!  Those unwanted plants that grow up, uninvited, rob the legitimate seedlings of their necessary food from the soil.  

We also now have a driveway and parking area covered with washed gravel which serves us well and which looks good – until it becomes spotted here and there with dandelions, plantains, purslanes, and other undesirables.  Then it looks shaggy and unkempt.   

Unfortunately, dealing with those intruders only on the surface does not solve the problem.  We must get “at the ROOT of the problem.”  Ah, yes, ROOTS! 
–Some roots are tender and break off easily, leaving the main part in the ground to grow just as aggressively as ever. 
–Some roots grow deep and it takes some serious digging to get hold of the whole root. 
–Some run underground for yards (meters in Canada J ) and it takes some diligence to follow the trail to their end. 
–Yet others grow in large clumps that leave a gaping hole when they are extracted. 

Not all weeds appear obnoxious.  Some can be rather attractive, with nicely shaped leaves and even pretty flowers.  And we allow them to grow, thinking they will not do too much harm.  But time passes, the rains come, and we get busy with other things.  Then one day, we discover that ‘harmless’ little weed has taken over and the proper plant beside it is looking stunted and under-developed.  We try to remove the weed, but the roots have spread and tangled with the roots beside it, so that it is almost impossible to avoid damaging the good plant even more. 

The Word of God uses roots to symbolize some things in our lives that are detrimental to our growth and development, and it warns us to keep watch for them.  “Follow peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord!  Looking diligently…lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”  What starts out as a seemingly harmless ‘justified’ feeling of pride or self-pity, soon grows into resentment, malice, rancor, animosity.  It robs us of the joy and peace that comes with growth, development and maturity.  (Heb. 12:15) 

I think many of the problems we encounter in life are the result of permitting a little root to start growing:-  resentment, unforgiveness, anger (‘justified’ of course!), jealousy, pride, envy, love of money…   I recall a little chorus we sometimes sing with the children:- 

Dig them out, and get them gone,
All the little thistles in the fields of corn:
Envy, jealousy, malice, pride,
And all the other sins that in my heart abide.

The very best ‘trowel’ to deal with this kind of ‘weed’ is the Word of God, applied by the Holy Spirit.  “For God’s Message is full of life and power, and is keener than the sharpest two-edgèd sword.  It pierces…and penetrates…and it can discern the secret thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  No created thing is able to escape its scrutiny, but everything lies bare and completely exposed before the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”   (Heb. 4:13-16 Weymouth)   

The Message Bible says it is as “sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.”  As we yield to God’s working in our lives, it is sufficient to deal with the most tenacious “roots” that, as I wrote in an earlier letter, tend to invade our Life’s Garden, pilfer our peace and joy, and steal the nutrients our spirits need to “grow in grace” and bear “good fruit.”   

The passage goes on to tell us that Jesus, our Saviour, has preceded us into the Presence of the Father, so we can “come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in our times of need.”   (Heb. 4:16) 

There isn’t much more satisfying to a gardener than tidy well-cultivated rows of healthy, fruitful plants, free of weeds and thistles.  “YOU are God’s garden – God’s planting…”  and He desires to have “plants” that produce the good “fruit of the Spirit,” which is “in all GOODNESS, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and TRUTH, proving what is acceptable to the Lord.”  (1 Cor. 3:9;  Eph. 5:9,10) 

“Let us not lose heart in well-doing for, in due season, we shall reap if we do not give up.”  (Gal. 6:9) 

“Now the God of all HOPE
 fill you with all JOY and PEACE in the believing,
that you may abound in HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13) 

In Agape, Eulene

Read Full Post »